Steph's Story: A Doctor Who Fanfic
by horsesrock8
Summary: Sequel to 'The Reunion'. The Doctor and Rose travel to our time to visit a place she's never been before. Thrown into a world where peaceful civilisations mass murder to survive and the key to it all is the last of her race...
1. Chapter 1

_This is the sequel to 'The Reunion'. So if you haven't read it yet…I recommend you do, because otherwise you may not know how Rose and the Doctor got back together again (which is what the Reunion is all about). Hope you enjoy (and review)!_

It was getting darker. Steph knew that if she was late home again, her mother would kill her.

"Crap!"

Steph turned to face a dark alley.

"Wrong way!"

Steph turned on the spot and ran the other way. The streets looked different at night. She knew the moment it hit 6pm, her mother would get VERY angry. Steph silently crossed the street, checking both ways. Anyway, it wasn't _her_ fault. It was Mike's. Her boss had asked her to tidy up the backroom of the café where she worked. She had almost finished when her fellow waiter Mike, came in and tipped all her neat piles all over the floor. She had to start again.

Steph looked at her watch. 5.50pm.

"Oh no! I won't make it!" She cried.

Suddenly, a large, unnatural sound made her stop. She turned around and peered into the darkness, looking for the source. Slowly, out of no where, an object started to appear. Steph could feel her heart beat faster. The object appeared to be a blue box of some sort, though Steph had never seen anything like it. The noise it appeared to be making was so strange, and all Steph could do was stare. She stood, rooted to the ground by fear and shock.

All of a sudden, the noise stopped and the doors opened. A man followed closely by a woman tumbled out laughing quite loudly. They stopped instantly when they caught sight of Steph. The woman turned to the man with a look that combined shock and curiosity. He returned it. The man turned back to face Steph. She could feel his eyes scan her up and down. The woman leaned closer to the man and began to whisper. Steph strained her ears to hear.

"Doesn't the TARDIS usually land somewhere deserted, or at least no one notices?" She asked.

_TARDIS?_

"That's what I thought too. Something was have told the TARDIS that there was nothing nearby though." He replied.

Steph instantly realised what they must be.

"You're aliens." She stammered.

"Ah yes, well…" The man started, but he might as well said 'yes, I'm from Mars', because Steph took off down the opposite direction as fast as she could.

Steph closed the front door of her house behind her. She slid down it with her back against it, her heart still going at a million miles per hour. She looked at her hands. They were still shaking from her 'encounter'.

"STEPHANIE CAITLIN TUCKER! YOU ARE LATE!"

**OO**

"Hey, why are you so late today?"

Steph rushed into the classroom, throwing her books to one side in anger. She slumped into her desk and turned to face her friend.

"Sorry Miranda. I'm grounded, _again_!" She scowled.

"Was Mike giving you a hard time again at the café yesterday?"

"How'd you guess?" Steph replied bitterly.

Her friend looked at her sympathetically.

"He just doesn't ever seem to want to leave me alone! I'm like, serving customer and I can feel his eyes burning into the back of my head. It's really creepy!" She sighed and leaned back in her chair, just as the teacher came in.

"I hate going to work now, just because he's there."

Her friend sighed.

"Well, you're gonna hate going to school now too, because he's working here as well."

She motioned to a tall man in a new janitor's uniform, strutting past the door. Steph groaned.

"I hate my life right now."

**OO**

Steph dragged her bag around the corner. Looking up the road, she realised she had been here not so long ago. Glancing around, she spotted the Blue Box again. She had to stop herself from shrieking out loud and dashing back the way she came. Taking control of her fear and sighed deeply.

"Aliens!" She breathed.

Fear began to creep back, but Steph shook herself. She figured she was probably the only one who knew there were aliens, so she should find out as much as she can about them, and then tell someone. After all, isn't that what they usually do in the movies? Pinching her arm to remind herself that this wasn't a movie, it was real life, Steph slowly moved towards the box. Dropping her books on the ground and crossing the street, she checked to see if anyone was around. It was deserted, except for her.

Steph placed her hand on one of the sides of the box. It felt wooden under her fingertips. Tapping lightly, it felt very solid.

_Are all spaceships made of wood?_

Circling the box, she turned to face the doors. She felt a sudden urge to open them, to be the first to see inside an alien spaceship…

Just as she was about to open them, voices could be heard coming closer. Quickly, she darted around the other side of the box, hopefully from view of whoever it was coming around the corner.

As the voices grew louder, Steph realised that she recognised them. It was the man and the woman.

_The aliens._

Unsure of what to do, Steph crouched down, with her back still against the box.

"I'm telling you…," The man was saying. "There are odd things going on!"

The woman laughed.

"I haven't the slightest idea of _what_ you're going on about! No, wait, yes I do! We come to Australia, and you have some paranoid thing about it. Is that it?"

"I'm telling you! Something about that café gave me the creeps!"

"I've never been to Australia before, and when we _finally_ arrive, there's something wrong with it. What's _sooo_ bad about this café anyway?"

"I don't know; something!"

"There is _nothing_ wrong with the Crepe Café!"

Steph gasped. That was the café where she worked!

_The aliens must be coming after me! Or something like that…Am I in danger?_

Frantic thoughts raced through Steph's mind as she conjured up possible scenarios in her head of what the aliens would do to her if they caught her…

Steph began feeling around on the ground behind her, searching for something to use as a weapon, just in case…Picking up a large rock, she prepared herself for whatever might happen…

"I just wanted a nice, pleasant date with you, but no!"

_Or not…_

"You didn't like the date? What? Miss the excitement of dangerous and deadly aliens chasing you through some deserted village on a planet a million miles from home? I thought you said you _wanted_ a nice, calm date?"

"Oh, Doctor! Every date with you is great! There was nothing wrong the Crepe Café! Although, I have to admit…The lemon tarts weren't as nice as they looked in the shelf…"

Steph gathered her wits and the large rock and jumped out in front of the box.

"What the…" The man started.

"What are you doing in my café?" Steph demanded.

The man and the woman stared at the fifteen year old blonde waitress in surprise. In one had she had a large rock and the other was aiming at their heads.

"What?" The woman exclaimed.

Steph shuffled her feet in surprise.

_They aren't attacking…yet…_

"Crepe café. I work there. Why were you there?" She repeated.

The man's eyes lit up.

"I know you…" He started.

"You work at Crepe Café?" Asked the woman.

Steph eyed her off.

"What's it to you?" She bluntly replied, still holding the rock high, even though the strength in her arms was beginning to wane.

"What's your name?" Asked the woman.

"Steph. Why do you want to know?"

"Hello Steph. My name is Rose, and this is the Doctor." The woman pointed to herself and the man next to her.

"Doctor who?"

"Just the Doctor. Now Steph, has anything _unusual_ been happening lately? Anything at all…" The Doctor blurted out.

Steph lowered the rock.

"Why do you want to know?" She asked quietly.

"It may be…or may not be important. Either way…?" The Doctor replied.

Steph thought for a moment. Should she trust these aliens? For all she knew, this could be a plot to take over the world, but generally she had a good judge of character, and these two didn't seem like the type to take over the world.

"Nothing much has happened that's unusual." She answered.

There was always Mike's behaviour, but then again, some people are just like that.

"Oh." The Doctor looked somewhat disheartened, but Rose just tapped his shoulder and smiled.

Steph checked her watch.

"I'm late!" She shrieked.

Steph ignored Rose and the Doctor's confused looked and raced past them, grabbing her bag as she went. Steph sprinted down the alley and around the corner and into work.

**OO**

"That's it! Now I'm sure!" Declared the Doctor once they were back inside the TARDIS.

"What's sure?" Asked Rose, intrigued.

"The TARDIS usually only ever lands somewhere where people don't notice it. But, something made it think that Steph wasn't there. That's not normal." He explained.

"So…now what?" Rose asked.

The Doctor smiled at her.

"You see this?" He produced a single blonde hair from inside his pocket.

"Yeah…" Replied Rose slowly.

"Well, when she pushed past us to go wherever she was going to go, this came off. I'm going to run a few tests, just to make sure…"


	2. Chapter 2

"I'm so sorry I'm late Rick, I got held up at the crossing." Steph lied.

"Well just get on with it." Her boss grunted in reply.

Steph pulled out a fresh apron from the cupboard and went to work at the cashier.

"Table 12 has been waiting for quite a while." He called after her.

"I'll be right over." She replied.

An hour or so later, after the number of customers declined considerably, Rick decided to close up shop early.

"Hey Steph, do you think you could clean up the storeroom again?"

"Sure thing."

Steph marched back into the back of the shop and towards the storeroom. She had a pretty good shift. Mike hadn't bothered her much, and she would be finishing early. That was good, she needed time to work on her homework and study for her upcoming maths exam. Slowly the amount of boxes on the floor began to drop, and the room began to look a lot cleaner.

Out of the corner of her eye, Steph spotted Mike leaning against the doorframe staring at her. She sighed, sometimes you just can't have a good day.

"What do you want?" She asked, not looking up from her work.

"Oh, nothing much." He casually replied.

Mike had only just started work here, only a couple of weeks ago, about a month after Steph. He was middle aged and creepy. Steph despised the man.

"Look, I really can't handle starting over again, so do you think you could just _leave_?"

He didn't reply. Steph sighed again.

"I noticed you took the job at my school too. Stalking me now are we?"

"In a manner of speaking."

Steph bolted upright and jumped so high she thought she could have hit the roof.

"You're kidding right?" She asked, half joking, half terrified.

Mike eyed her off and moved closer to her, shutting the door behind him. Steph's pulse raced. Now she was getting scared.

"Look if this is some sort of sick joke, it's not funny!"

Mike didn't reply, only kept moving closer and closer. Steph was forced to back away from his looming presence.

"Back off!" She stuttered, but it didn't deter him.

Steph began feeling around her, searching for anything to defend herself with. The first thing that she found was a pair of scissors.

"Leave me alone or I swear I will hurt you!" She shrieked.

Brandishing the scissors in front of her, she hoped they would at least slow him down. But it didn't. He continued to advance, despite her pleas and the threat of the scissors. He backed her up against the wall.

"I swear I will kill you if you come any closer!" Steph was panicking and beginning to cry.

"Then kill me."

The sides of Mike's mouth twisted upwards in a mocking smile, daring her to strike. Steph hesitated, and then lunged forward, tearing the scissors across his chest. Mike staggered backwards, but no blood came out. Steph watched in horror and his stood up to face her again, his eyes glinting in success.

The deep gash that Steph had inflicted was beginning to heal right before her eyes. She looked on in horror as the wound disappeared into nothing. There was no indication at all that anything had ever touched it.

"What the HELL are you?" She screamed.

"Nothing you know of." He replied with a nasty grin.

"Go away!" Steph begged.

"I'm sorry, I'm afraid I can't do that," He replied in a mocking tone. "You see, I need your…energy."

"What? Why?"

Steph knew the longer she kept him talking the more time she would have to figure out a way to get out of here. She began scanning the room for any other signs of escape. There was a window on the opposite wall, but it wasn't nearly big enough for her, and Mike would surely catch her if she attempted to escape through there. The only option was to somehow get to the door.

"With your energy, I can become immortal!"

He turned to face Steph head on. His wicked smile and expression of hunger were terrifying. Just as he went to advance, Steph slashed the scissors across his chest once more and fled to the door. She pulled on the door handle and was just about to escape when a sharp pain ran through her body. She cried out as Mike tightened his grip. He had caught her wrist as she raced past him. She gasped at the strength he held her back with. Pulling her by the wrist, Steph cried out again as the circulation was beginning to be cut off.

"HELP!" She screamed at the top of her lungs.

"No one can hear Stephanie," Taunted Mike softly. "I made sure this room is completely sound proof."

Mike spun her around and gripped both her arms and pinned them to their sides. Steph could feel bruises forming where he held her. Glancing down at her arms she screamed.

From underneath Mike's hands, grayish colour was spreading across her skin. Instead of a normal paler colour, her skin was going as grey as the clouds.

Steph struggled with all her might, but she couldn't escape his steel grip. Slowly she began to feel tired, so tired. He was draining her of her energy.

**OO**

"Ok, let's have a look at this…" The Doctor peered closer to the screen. Rose leant in too.

"That's…that's impossible…" The Doctor stammered, unable to believe his eyes.

"What is it?" Rose asked.

"Oh no…Oh no, oh no, oh no…"

The Doctor leaped up and raced to the doors, grabbing his coat on the way.

"What is it?" Rose cried.

"Come on!"

**OO**

Bit by bit, Steph felt her muscles sapped of their energy. Determined not to give up, Steph never stopped struggling and crying for help. But she was beginning to lose hope.

Then suddenly, the door behind them burst open, slamming into the wall.

"STEPH!"

Mike spun around, dragging Steph with him, to see a murderous looking Doctor standing in the doorway.

"DOCTOR!" Steph screamed. "HELP ME!"

Mike pulled Steph away from the doorway and held her in front of him like a shield. He still continued to drain energy from her.

"LET HER GO!" The Doctor demanded, taking a step forward.

"Who is this?" Mike snarled.

"I'm the Doctor! Now you'd better to let her go or else…" The Doctor's face was dark. His expression was terrifying.

"Or else _what_?" Mike's snarl turned into a hideous grin.

"THIS!"

Another figure had appeared in the doorway. It was Rose. In one swift motion she had picked up and thrown a can of Baked Beans from the floor at Mike. He didn't move in time and the can hit him squarely on the eye.

Clutching his eye, he dropped Steph. She seized the opportunity and ran for her life. Rose grabbed her hand and dragged her down the stairs and into the main café, racing for the door.

"Where exactly do you think you're going in the middle of a shift?" Rick stepped in front of the door, blocking Rose and Steph's escape.

"Sorry Rick, I gotta-"

"RUN!"


	3. Chapter 3

The Doctor came pelting down the stairs behind them, with Mike in hot pursuit, a snarl planted on his face.

Rose shoved Rick out of the way, much to his distaste, and pulled Steph out of the shop and into a run. They were running hard. Occasionally, the Doctor would yell directions at them from behind.

"LEFT!"

"RIGHT!"

If it wasn't for the threat of imminent danger, Steph felt a kind of thrill, like she was in a video game. But a roar from behind quickly reminded her that she wasn't.

"LEFT!" Cried the Doctor.

Steph veered left and spotted the blue box in the distance. Suddenly the Doctor put on a burst of speed, charging past Steph and Rose to reach the box first. In a flash he had produced a key from seemingly no where and had opened the door. He leaped through the doors, motioning for the others to follow. Steph felt a large push from behind from Rose to get inside. Steph hesitated, it looked very small. She closed her eyes and jumped inside, tensing for the squishing feeling. It never came. Steph peeked through her eyelashes, glancing around herself. She gasped in amazement.

"The inside…it's bigger…!" The words barely formed in her mind as she struggled to say them.

"On the inside." Finished Rose for her.

Rose was standing next to the Doctor up in the centre of the room, next to a large console, that had a large column extending upwards towards the ceiling. The room was massive, far, far bigger than the blue box. The walls had patterns and textures that reminded her of coral. Now she didn't need to doubt her first impressions of the two strangers that had just rescued her from Mike.

"It's alien isn't it?"

"Yeah!" Called the Doctor.

He was racing around the console, pulling and prodding various buttons and levers. Rose was next to him, occasionally following instructions from the Doctor as to what to prod next.

"That one! That blue one there!" He pointed from the opposite side of the console.

"This one?" Rose pointed to a rather fat blue button in between two flashing circles.

"Punch it!"

In an instant the room lurched sideways throwing Steph across the room.

"What the hell!?" She squealed, grabbing for the nearest solid object.

Her hands found a rail nearby and held on for dear life. She looked up to Rose and the Doctor, who were holding onto the console itself.

"Come on old girl! Let's go!" The Doctor cried amongst the other various sounds emitting from the column.

He began to pull and push even more buttons then before. Rose just laughed and continued to hang on tight.

"What's going on??" Cried Steph.

"Ha ha!" Came the response from the Doctor.

Suddenly, everything went still again. As quickly as it had happened, all the shaking and lurching stopped.

"Come on! Let's go!"

The Doctor marched down towards the door, picking up his coat on the way, with Rose close behind. Steph tore her hands away from the rail and scrambled to the door. The Doctor opened the doors and stepped outside.

"Wait! She called! It's not safe! What about…" Steph cried, racing out the door after him.

But she didn't finish her sentence. She gasped in astonishment. She had just stepped out of the box onto her own front lawn.

"How did you…?" She asked, dumbfounded.

Rose and the Doctor looked from one to the other and smiled.

**OO**

"You have been targeted by an Ethae."

"Huh?"

Steph was completely lost. The Doctor sighed and continued.

"An Ethae." He repeated.

"What's that? You mean Mike?" Asked Steph.

"Yes, the one you refer to is an Ethae, a normally peaceful race." The Doctor added emphasis onto the last statement. Rose noticed his tone.

"Normally?" She asked.

The Doctor looked at her.

"The Ethae are, or were a peaceful race, who kept to themselves. But what I don't understand is why they would come to Earth? There's hardly any- I mean they'd have to consume hundreds-"

The Doctor's expression was confusion. Rose instantly knew there was something wrong.

"Wait, wait, wait. Why would this Ethae want to target me? And plus, how did you know that I was in trouble? How do you know all this anyway?" Steph's sharp voice suddenly came intruding into Rose's ear, disrupting her thoughts.

"I think I'll start from the beginning. When we met for the first time, I knew there was something different about you. My ship, the TARDIS, that blue box over there," He pointed towards it. "Anyway, it tends to land where people don't see it, or generally don't notice. That's to do with Perception Filter, but that's another story so," he paused for breath. "After that, I was curious, so we decided to do a little investigating."

"Excuse me? Investigating? I thought we were having a nice date?" Interrupted Rose.

The Doctor looked sheepishly back over to Rose and grinned. She shook her head in disbelief. The Doctor turned his attention back to Steph.

"When we met for the second time," He continued. "I pinched one of your hairs and decided to find out why you noticed the TARDIS, and why it landed right in front of you."

"And…?" Steph motioned for him to continue.

"You don't exist." He answered, with a nervous tone.

It took Steph a couple of seconds to register what the Doctor had said.

"What?" That was the only reaction she could come up with.

The Doctor sighed and glanced back at Rose.

"I scanned the hair. It gave back zero life signs. Nothing. Zip. According to the TARDIS, the only thing detectable in the hair was the faint signs of Ethae radiation."

"Radiation!?" Cried Steph.

She had read enough books on science to know that radiation is not a good thing.

"The Ethae are capable of making things disappear as part of their defense mechanisms." He replied.

Steph barely heard what he was saying. She was still freaking out about the radiation problem. Rose leaned over to the Doctor and whispered in his ear.

"I think you better start from the beginning." She offered.

"Ok then, well…The Ethae are, well, _were_ a peaceful race. They lived out in open space and would consume the life force or energy of a special type of sun, called a Cyl. The 'Star of the Ethae' it was called back when Timelords reigned."

"Timelords?" Interrupted Steph, her thoughts suddenly whipping back to the conversation.

"My race." Replied the Doctor with a solemn look on his face.

Steph looked at the Doctor, hoping that he would continue an insight into where he was from, but he didn't.

"Anyway, a Cyl is no special kind of sun. It's a sun that's alive."

"Alive?" Interrupted Steph again.

"Yes. The type of energy that exists inside was very special. A source of fuel that was constantly making more of itself. But this sort of energy was highly sort after by the other races in the universe." The Doctor continued.

"Of course," realized Rose. "That sort of energy would mean the end of lack of fuel; you could supply anything with energy that would never run out."

The Doctor nodded in agreement.

"And so the Ethae would protect the Cyl. Ethae are capable of absorbing all types of energy, but the only kind that would sustain them was self replicating. They could consume all the heat out of a human, but that's sort of like a drop of water instead of a full glass. So, whenever anything threatened the Cyl, the Ethae would step in and protect it. They would also use the radiation that is hiding you from scans, to hide the Cyl, making it even harder to find it. It was a partnership that would last many millennia."

"But something went wrong." Guessed Rose.

"Yep. The Cyl must have been destroyed by something." The Doctor answered.

"Even with all those protections? Wow, that must have been something huge." Muttered Steph to herself.

"And now they've come to Earth seeking a new type of food." Realized Rose.

"But there's something I don't understand. Why would they go after you?" The Doctor looked at Steph. "What's a kid from Earth got to do with…Oh."

The Doctor finally understood. He turned to face Steph. She shifted uncomfortably under his piercing gaze.

"You're not from Earth are you?" He asked, with a blank expression on his face.

Steph's eyes opened in shock. Half of her was confused, the other angry that he could make such an accusation.

"What!? No!" She snapped.

He raised his eyebrow in surprise.

"Either way, I need to find out why they chose you. It won't hurt I promise."

The Doctor suddenly walked over to Steph and raised his hands to her forehead. He closed his eyes. Steph cringed as the most curious sensation washed over her. Suddenly she could see all the memories of her entire life flashing before her eyes. Following her mother around in a supermarket when she was ten; her father giving her an ice-cream; playing on the swings with her friends when she was five…All the memories seemed to be going in order of most recent to earliest. But there was something odd about them. IN every single flash back, she could see the Doctor in them. But he wasn't there originally.

"You're inside my memories!" She gasped out loud.

The memories showing were from when she was just a tiny toddler at two. Falling off the veranda, but not getting hurt for some reason…Steph could feel the Doctor tensing as he saw that memory. But then something happened.

Rose was lying on the grass when she realized there was something terribly wrong. Steph had begun to shake violently, and several sparks of electricity were flying from where the Doctor's hands touched her temples. The Doctor's expression was stiff.

The pain inside Steph's head was enormous. Her hands flew up to the Doctor's and try tried to pull him off, make the pain stop. But she couldn't get them off. It was like they were stuck to her head. The memories continued to flash past…Looking up at her mother cooing her inside her crib when she was one…

But then it was all still.


	4. Chapter 4

Rose looked on in horror as the scene before her unfolded. An electric charge was surrounding the Doctor and Steph. She reached out her hand towards the Doctor, but suddenly received a massive shock to her hand as it passed an invisible barrier of electricity. She retracted it in pain.

The Doctor and Steph stood motionless and stiff, immersed inside a memory.

_A man and a woman stood facing a dark circle. Both wore tattered materials, their faces solemn and weak. The woman held a small bundle in her arms, her tender movements ensuring the bundle would remain undisturbed. The man turned to face the woman and placed his hands on the bundle. He pulled back the cloth to reveal a tiny baby, no more then a couple of weeks old. He bent down and kissed the child on the forehead, whispering words as he did. He stood back up again, and the woman cradled the baby softly in her arms, singing silently. _

_The man watched the woman for a while, and then touched her cheek. She looked up at him in a desperate longing. He nodded and turned back to face the dark circle before them. The woman handed the baby to him, her eyes lingering on the child with a deep sadness inside them._

_The man placed the woman and his hands on the baby's forehead, and together they whispered a single word._

"_Atlantis."_

_A bright spark of electricity suddenly came out of the man's hand and struck the baby on the back of the neck, just behind the ear. It let out no cry of pain though, only gurgling in response. The man reached out towards the dark circle, placing the child inside its unseen depths. It slowly disappeared into the nothingness. _

The memory faded away.

Rose watched as the charge of electricity that had built up around Steph and the Doctor slowly disappear. She sighed in relief as he opened his eyes. But relief quickly turned into fear as the Doctor backed away from Steph in horror. Steph's arms remained limp beside her, her eyes closed, her expression soft.

The Doctor stood away from her, his eyes reflected shock as he shook his head in belief.

"Not…possible…" He whispered.

Rose immediately raced to his side.

"What is it? What did you see?" Her voice raced in fear.

The Doctor just continued to stare and shake his head.

"You saw my parents place me in a portal to go to Earth. I'm an alien from another planet, aren't I?"

Steph's eyes opened, and Rose stepped back in shock at the expression in her eyes. Instead of the bright, happy eyes of a fourteen year old, they showed countless centuries of pain.

**OO**

No one spoke for several minutes. The Doctor stood facing Steph with a blank expression. He had quickly recovered from the initial shock, and was now just watched her. Rose stood next to the Doctor, unsure of what to make of the situation. Steph had closed her eyes again, almost as if she thought it was all a dream and wanted to wake up. But it was no dream.

The Doctor spoke first.

"I'm sorry." He said with a deep sadness in his eyes.

Steph opened her eyes.

"It's not your fault." She replied blankly.

Rose winced. Steph spoke as if there was nothing inside her. It was like there was nothing left but a shell. Her tone was blank and expressionless; no emotion. It scared Rose to think that the bubbly teenager had changed into this. Just one memory had seemed to simply destroy her from the inside out.

"What's not your fault?" Asked Rose, almost afraid of the answer.

"They're dead. They sent me here to save me." Answered Steph.

"From what?" Asked Rose, glancing from the Doctor to Steph.

"The end." Answered the Doctor.

In his heart, the Doctor knew all too well the feelings Steph was going through.

**OO**

"And here I was, afraid of aliens and I'm one myself." Muttered Steph bitterly as she sat in the jump seat inside the TARDIS next to Rose.

The Doctor had offered to take Steph back to see her adoptive parents, but she refused. All Steph wanted to do was cry. Cry for the real family she had never known, cry for the world she had lost. She just wanted to buckle down and be alone. She wanted to know why her real parents had sent her to Earth, why they would give her up to complete strangers on an entirely different planet. There were so many questions running through her head, she could barely concentrate.

The Doctor had taken her back inside the TARDIS in order to take a complete body scan to find out exactly what Steph was.

"An Electant." He said at last.

"What?" Asked Rose, standing up from her seat and walking to the Doctor's side.

The Doctor turned back to Steph, who eyed him off, wary of the next bombshell he was going to drop.

"You see, I always thought I knew, but it was so long ago." His voice drifted off.

"Knew what?" Steph slowly rose from the jump seat to face the Doctor.

"You are an Electant. A being of pure electricity." He answered.

"Uh huh," Steph raised an eyebrow. "Does this look like electricity to you?" She pointed at her body.

Rose took a long look at the girl before her.

"Looks pretty human to me." She concluded.

"Yes…Well…My knowledge about the Electants is extremely limited, apart from their recent history." The Doctor sighed.

Steph's eyes lit up. For a second Rose thought she could see the bright teenager behind the oldness.

"What happened?" Steph asked.

"As far as I know, the Electants were an extremely private race, living in their own private part of the galaxy for thousands of years. In fact, I don't think anyone even realised they were there until the war." The Doctor's expression was thoughtful, his mind wandering.

"The war?" Steph gulped. She wasn't really sure if she really wanted to know what had happened, but she knew she must.

"Yeah…An Electant was captured and their race was discovered. Very soon, almost every single race in the universe wanted to know your secrets."

Suddenly Steph realised everything.

"In order for me to be electric, I must have some sort of way of keeping electricity flowing throughout my system, which means it must replicate itself or be continuously making more…Just like a…"

"Cyl." Rose finished for her.

"And you don't have the protection of many thousands of Ethae, willing to sacrifice all to save you." Added the Doctor.

"Of course! They would have been hunted to extinction from races desperate to discover how our bodies work." Steph finally understood everything.

"Which is why the Ethae are after you." Realised Rose.

"I'm almost exactly like a Cyl, only pure electricity. I would be like a sort of new food source."

"Yep. Out of all the planets in the universe, the Ethae manage to tract the very last Electant to Earth." The Doctor leaned back in the jump seat.

"Wait…Last?" Steph turned to the Doctor.

He looked up at her in conern.

"As I said, I only know recent history, and when I mean recent…this was about 5000 years ago."

"5000??" Repeated Rose in astonishment.

"That's how long ago the war was. The war between the Electants and the rest of the galaxy. They lost, which meant they were hunted to extinction." Steph's voice faded away as the reality of it all sunk in.

"I'm so sorry Steph." The Doctor stood again and placed a hand on her shoulder.

Steph looked up at him, tears slowly forming inside her eyes. But she had one more defence to fall back amongst all this confusion.

"But…I look human…How could I be an Electant anyway?"


	5. Chapter 5

The Doctor and Rose sighed

The Doctor and Rose sighed. They knew Steph was in denial. She was trying all her might to pretend that it wasn't real. Her only defence was to shut herself away from it all and hope it goes away.

"Steph…" Started Rose.

But Steph wasn't listening. She was refusing to listen. All of this confusion and sadness had only arrived when _they_ came. Why did they come? Steph's life was great until the Doctor and Rose showed up in her life. Steph concentrated all her might of everything else apart from the Doctor and Rose, who were both trying to comfort her.

She listened to the deep throb of the TARDIS, emerging herself within it, feeling the raw power of time flow through her body…. She desperate to get away from all the pain…

"Where's Steph?" Cried Rose in alarm.

The Doctor jumped back and looked at shock at the space where Steph had been sitting only moments ago. His alarm was quickly diverted though, as a large burst of energy exploded from inside the console of the TARDIS.

"What the…" Cried the Doctor in surprise.

CRASH

Another burst of energy shot from within the console, barely missing the Doctor. He jumped back in alarm and frantically began pressing controls. Rose grabbed for the nearest solid object and hung on as the TARDIS shook violently.

"Something's _inside_ the TARDIS!" Shouted the Doctor amidst all the alarms and explosions, "there's something alien interfering with-"

BANG

The TARDIS shook again, even more violently then before. Rose clung on for dear life as she watched the Doctor race around the console, working so fast his hands began to blur, all the time trying to figure out what was wrong.

**OO**

Steph opened her eyes. All around her was vivid images of various writings, scenes from a person's life, scenes of horror and destruction. Steph tried to shout, but no sound came out of her mouth. And then the images changed. They became pleasant. Images of life. Love even.

Steph tried to turn around, but she couldn't move. She was frozen in place, forced to watch as the scenes disappeared and more writings flowed over her eyes. Then she recognised one of the writings. She strained her eyes to try and get a closer look. It was English. Soon enough, all the writings that surrounded her changed into English and she realised she could understand them. Concentrating hard, she strained her eyes and her brain and she tried to understand each of the billions of languages that passed her. A jolt of electricity suddenly went through the writings and everything went black.

**OO**

Rose was still clinging onto the rail as the shaking stopped. She looked to the Doctor, standing next to the console, his glasses on and peering intently into the screen. Rose looked around for Steph, but she couldn't see her. Pulling her hands from the rail, she walked, rather unsteadily towards the Doctor.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"There was something inside the TARDIS, and I have a rather horrible feeling I know who it was." He answered, not taking his eyes from the screen.

"Who?" Asked Rose, the obvious concern in her voice rising.

"Can someone please fetch me a blanket? Or something like that…" A small voice echoed through the TARDIS.

The Doctor and Rose spun about.

"Steph?" The chorused.

"Um… Yeah…Do you think you could get me that blanket or something? Please?" She replied, her voice filled with worry.

The Doctor and Rose exchanged looks of curiosity.

"May I ask why?" Asked the Doctor.

"Just get it!" Came the snapped reply.

The Doctor and Rose were both taken aback by her sharpness. The Doctor motioned to a small wardrobe just down the hall of the TARDIS. Rose nodded and quickly walked off to get it.

"Steph, where are you?" The Doctor asked.

"Just follow the sound of my voice once you get that blanket!" She replied, rather impatiently.

"I got it!" Called Rose as she walked back into the console room.

"Great! Toss it here!"

Rose looked uncertainly towards the Doctor.

"Steph…Where _is_ here?" Asked the Doctor.

"Walk towards the door and take a sharp right." Came the annoyed reply.

Rose did what she was told and tossed the blanket down the corridor.

"Thank you."

Steph walked out into the console room, covering herself in the blanket. The Doctor and Rose's jaws' dropped. Steph smiled uncertainly and shifted her bare feet.

"Um…Can I borrow some clothes please?"

**OO**

"I don't understand what happened." Rose was confused.

"You're not alone." Half laughed, half sighed Steph, pulling at Rose's oversized jumper.

The Doctor grinned at the both of them. Steph glared at him. He had been behaving like a child ever since Steph had come out in Rose's oversized jumper and jeans. Steph was tiny underneath Rose's clothes.

"Ignore him." Laughed Rose. "He's just teasing you."

"I know." Replied Steph, shaking her head in disbelief.

"Well…? What happened then?" Asked Rose.

The Doctor grinned at Steph again before answering.

'Well, since Steph is made of electricity, I'm guessing that she has the ability to interface with anything that has electricity inside it."

"Guessing?" Steph raised an eyebrow.

"As I have _previously_ said, I only heard of your race in passing." Answered the Doctor.

"The TARDIS is electric?" Rose looked over to the Doctor curiously.

"It has electric components, yes." He replied.

The Doctor's expression lit up.

"Before I forget…"

He suddenly whipped out the sonic screwdriver and started running it all around Steph. Steph followed his movements with annoyance.

"Hey! What are you doing…?" She asked as he ran it around her belt.

"Increasing the electronegativity of your clothes." He quipped as he ran the screwdriver over her shoes.

Steph and Rose both raised their eyebrows.

"And why?" Asked Steph.

"So…," The Doctor stood back up again and took a step back.

"If you decide to take another trip, your clothes won't disappear again."

"But why did my clothes disappear the first time?" Asked Steph.

The Doctor laughed again and pointed towards the spot where Steph had been sitting before she had unwillingly entered the TARDIS. There lay a small pile of ash that Steph realised were the remains of her clothes.

"They didn't disappear. The effect of so much electricity shooting straight through them into the floor just destroyed them. Disintegrated. Kaput. Which is why I increased the electronegativity so that they won't!" He continued.

"Well, Shouldn't have bothered because I'm never doing _that_ again!" Laughed Steph.

She abruptly stopped when she noticed the Doctor's look. He had turned to Steph with a confused look. She shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. The Doctor's stares always made her feel rather awkward.

"But there is something I want to know. What did you see?"

Steph thought for a moment. She was sure all those scenes were somehow the Doctor's life, and she had invaded his privacy, looking into all the events of his life. She decided not to tell anyone about all that horror and destruction, but also that love. That love was so powerful…Steph had never seen anything like it. Then again, there were all those languages. After a while she had understood them. Somehow they managed to translate inside her head. That was worth mentioning, she decided.

"Writing. Lots." Steph answered finally.

"Just that?" Asked the Doctor, his eyes looking into hers; searching them for any sign of deception.

Whatever test he was performing on her, she knew she was failing.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know what was happening; I couldn't control any of my actions." Steph lowered her eyes away from his, giving in to his stare.

The Doctor jumped back in fright, taking several steps backwards away from Steph; an expression of combined shock and confusion planted on his face. Rose glanced back and forth from Steph to the Doctor.

"What's wrong?" She asked in confusion.

As far as she knew, there was nothing wrong with what Steph had _accidentally_ done. The Doctor turned to his eyes to her. Rose could see the shock in his eyes.

"Steph just apologised in Gallifreian."


	6. Chapter 6

No one spoke for several minutes

No one spoke for several minutes. Steph wasn't sure what to do. Should she mention that she had been given a private insight into the life of the man before her? Perhaps he only thought she had been lying about the languages and how she could understand them? Either way, Steph wasn't sure if she should speak, or let someone else break the silence.

Rose had no idea what to make of the situation. She had never seen the Doctor so torn. She could tell half of him wanted to interrogate Steph, find out what else she had seen inside his ship. But the other half wanted her to know. Wanted someone to see what he had been through. Someone to share it with. The only problem Rose had with that is the fact that it wasn't her. Despite all that they had been through together, the Doctor had still found it to hard to share it with her, let her be his sounding board. Rose knew it was his choice, but still, it was hard. Luckily, she didn't need to know his entire life to know that she loved him just the way he was. And nothing could ever take that away. She chuckled to herself. Not even the barriers between universes could keep them apart.

The Doctor looked up when Rose chuckled. He looked at her in wonder. Trust Rose to see the funny side. Rose noticed his look and smiled. He couldn't help but smile back. She had a habit of doing that. And he loved her so much for it.

It ended up being the Doctor who broke the silence.

"You were in the TARDIS' memory banks, and were then thrown into the translation section, before the TARDIS initiated emergency procedures and ended your…visit." The Doctor's voice was strained.

Steph could barely believe the guilt she was feeling. She knew she had invaded his privacy like no one else. By seeing all those fleeting images of his life, she had breached his space. She hung her head in shame, wishing beyond anything a giant hole would suddenly appear and she could shrink into it.

Rose's heart melted at the sight of the poor girl. She jumped over and wrapped her arms around Steph's shoulders. Rose looked up to the Doctor. There was pity in her eyes that made the Doctor realise how much she must like this girl. How much she felt sorry for her.

The Doctor was well aware that it wasn't Steph's fault. It was just a completely random event that she entered the memory banks. She couldn't control anything about the way her body works at this point. She didn't even know she was different until a few hours ago. But the Doctor couldn't help but feel like his privacy had been invaded. He felt resentment to the young girl, but at the same time, there was so many ways that she was similar. As the last of his race, he knew what it felt like to be alone.

Shaking his head, he brushed aside all his resentment towards Steph and clapped his hands together.

"No point moping about the past, when we still have the future to save!"

Steph looked up at the Doctor and smiled. She felt so relieved that he didn't feel anger towards her. Steph was suddenly filled with a desire to make it up to the Doctor, to impress him, make her look better in his eyes. She suddenly noticed all the machines had stopped making the sound they were before.

"Well, we've landed, that's for sure. But where?" Concluded Rose, reading Steph's mind.

"Fitzroy." Announced the Doctor, peering at a screen that was formally in Gallifreyan, which Steph suddenly realised she could read.

"Fitzroy?" Repeated Steph.

"Where?" Asked Rose.

The Doctor and Steph both turned to look at Rose with the exact same expression of surprise.

"Melbourne." Answered Steph.

"Australia." Added the Doctor.

Then they both turned back to the screen leaving Rose looking completely bemused. She frowned slightly then smiled, and walked behind them to have a good look at the screen herself.

"We were tracking the Ethae when Steph, er…," Rose paused for a second trying to think of the right word. "Jumped in…"

"And now we've landed in Fitzroy." Finished the Doctor.

All three looked at the door curiously in perfect synchronisation. The Doctor exchanged glances at Rose before smiling broadly. She grinned back.

"Let's go then!" The Doctor called happily, taking Rose's hand in his and bounded down the ramp, pulling her along.

He pulled open the doors and stepped out, with Rose close behind. Steph stared at them. They were like a bunch of kids opening presents at Christmas. She exhaled and tightened Rose's belt around her hips before racing after them. Just before the doors, she noticed something shiny on the ground. Just before she was about to pick it up, she heard a shrill scream.

Steph froze when she realised it was Rose who screamed. Blood pumped to her ears, and adrenaline raced through her system. Before she knew what she was doing, she had pulled open the TARDIS doors and raced out.

"Close the doors! Close them quick!" Yelled the Doctor.

Steph had barely gotten through them before she heard the Doctor. Spinning on her heels she pulled them shut before large arms caught her, and pulled her away from the safety of the police box.

Steph had her eyes closed. She didn't want to look around. She curled up into a ball and scrunched her eyes shut and refused to move. In fact, all she wanted to do was get as far away from here as possible. If only a large hole would suddenly appear, and whisk her back to home. _Home._

She suddenly realised. It wasn't home. She doesn't even belong on Earth. She's an _alien_. All of her fourteen years had been a lie. The people she had grown up with weren't her parents. They were humans; humans who had raised her and never even told her that she were adopted.

She suddenly remembered the strong arms pinning her arms to her side. She was in trouble. Feeling a courage she had never felt before, she became determined to get out.

_I need to find out what is going on, but first I need to get out of here._

She breathed deeply as her eyes flew open and she began to struggle against the hands keeping her from moving.

"Hello again."

Steph's insides suddenly went icy cold. Fear creped up her body, freezing her movements. Her breathing became shallow. Slowly she looked up to the face peering down at her with dread.

It was Mike.

"Don't touch her!"

A loud voice from behind Mike suddenly cried out. Steph's eyes lit up. It was Rose.

"Be silent!" Ordered Mike.

"Make me!" Came the angry reply.

Mike turned away from Steph, allowing her to take a look around.

She was in a large warehouse filled with people. They stood on crates, boxes and a walkway that ran midway up the wall. There were hundreds of men and women all staring at her. Some had hope in their eyes, some hunger. Steph looked at the man holding her. He was blank.

She turned away to look at where Rose's voice was coming from. Her heart leapt for joy as she recognised the Doctor and Rose both standing a short way across the room. Happiness soon plummeted when she realised they were both being held prisoner as well.

Rose was staring at Mike with defiance. She was not the slightest bit afraid of him. Steph was amazed at how she stood eye to eye with the man, thing, alien that had tried to kill her before. She stared at him, unblinking, unmoving, challenging him.

The Doctor stood to her left, and he too stood challenging Mike. Neither of them was backing down either. It amazed Steph how they could face such a dangerous person, knowing that at any second he could strike.

Mike walked over and stood inches from Rose's face. She narrowed her eyes.

"Be silent, or die." Mike raised his hand and slammed it into Rose's shoulder, snarling.

Rose gasped as she felt her very life being absorbed from her shoulder. She wobbled and tried to pull away from his touch.

"NO!" Yelled the Doctor, and wrenched his arms out of his guard.

He raced to Rose, knocking Mike off her with a force that even made Steph gasp in surprise. Mike flew to the side, while the Doctor caught Rose as she fell. Gasping and shaking uncontrollably she held onto the Doctor as he supported her. The Doctor's eyes were mad with fury as he held Rose. Steph glanced from the Doctor to Mike, and cried out in fear as she saw him advance on the Doctor while his attention was on Rose.

"NO!" She screamed. "Doctor look out!"

The Doctor whirled about when he heard Steph's scream, but it was too late. Mike thrust his hands into the Doctor's back, sending him flying forward. Rose, who had since recovered slightly, cried out in anger. She crawled over to the Doctor, who lay groaning on the ground. Steph realised Mike must have drained from the Doctor when he pushed him.

"Leave them alone! I'm the one you want, aren't I?" She suddenly found herself screaming.

Steph blinked and went silent. She had never said anything that self-less before. All of Steph's life she had been focusing on her wants, but never had she ever had courage like she had now. It was like something inside her wanted to break through, wanted to save everyone. It gave her strength. She raised her head and glared at Mike.

"Yes…I suppose you are." He grinned.

Steph narrowed her eyes.

"Wait…what do you mean?" There was something in his voice that made her even more scared then before.

"Your parents definitely weren't like you, they provided nothing like what you can."

His grin was terrifying Steph.


	7. Chapter 7

"What did you do

"What did you do?" Her voice was barely above a whisper, and shaking.

"When we finally picked up a source, we traced it to here. We didn't know how much there was, but it was enough. I found you, but there could have been more. Who better then the parents?"

Mike's twisted smile warped Steph's thoughts as her eyes widened in shock. Her body froze as her mind tried to process the millions of thoughts flying through it. Her breathing grew rapid and short as she suddenly realised.

"No…"

The tiny sound scarcely hit a decibel.

Steph's legs gave way beneath her. If it wasn't for the man holding her up, she would have fell to the ground. She gasped and began shaking uncontrollably. Tears began to well in her eyes.

"NO!" She sobbed. "Please no! Don't tell me you…"

Rose could barely look at the terrible scene unfolding before her.

Mike stared at her with a sickening smile of triumph. He bent down and whispered in her ear.

"Time to save us, Steph." Mike moved his hand to her shoulder.

Steph closed her eyes, a single tear running down her cheek.

"WAIT!"

Mike retracted his hand from Steph and spun around to see the Doctor standing, with Rose half supporting him. Steph's eyes opening slightly, blurred by the tears that coated them, and looked to the Doctor. A tiny feeling of hope began to form, deep inside her.

"You used to be a peaceful race. Why are you murdering an innocent child?" The Doctor challenged.

Mike opened his mouth to retaliate, and then realised that the Doctor wasn't looking at him. The Doctor stood facing the hundreds of people packed into the warehouse they were in. All of them were staring back.

"This isn't murder!" Spat Mike.

The Doctor turned and stalked towards Mike, without Rose's help for support. The man that was supposed to be holding him back just blinked and didn't make any moves to stop him. The Doctor stood eye to eye with Mike, glaring at him.

"Look at her! She hasn't had more than 14 years of life and you're suddenly deciding that it's your right to take the rest of it away! Don't you try and tell me that this isn't murder when there is another option! A BETTER one!"

The eyes of the crowd looked to the ground in dismay. The Doctor could see how torn they were. One side was their survival, the other was their legacy. Murderers, or promoters of peace?

Mike was the only one who wasn't showing any form of remorse. His coldness still emanated from within him. In fact, he looked even angrier then before.

"How can we trust you?" He spat. "You! You who would have us die rather than save her…an entire species for just one child!"

The Doctor turned away from the crowd to face Mike again.

"That's right. A CHILD! One single child whose life has barely even started is being taken from her!"

The Doctor looked back at the audience of Ethae.

"You see this?" He pointed to the TARDIS.

"This is my ship. It is capable of transporting **all** of you to a new Cyl. I know where one is. I can take you there," He turned back to Mike, "without killing anyone."

Murmurs ran through the crowd. Whispers were exchanged. Then one man standing in the front row spoke out.

"Is this true?" He asked.

Mike spun around to face the man.

"Be silent!" He ordered.

Rose couldn't take Mike's ignorance anymore. She brushed past the Doctor to face the man who had spoken out.

"Yes he can! He can take all of you! The Doctor speaks the truth! I have seen him save so many peoples from the same destruction that faces you! If you are to trust anyone in your life, it is the Doctor!" Cried Rose.

The man who had spoken out turned to Rose, along with most of the crowd.

"How do you know this?" He asked, his eyes opening to other possibilities…

"The Doctor has taken me to the very edge of the universe and back; shown me the wonders of the amazing place we live in. I have seen him sacrifice himself over and over again for people he hardly even knew. He is one of the greatest men this universe has ever seen. He's one of the greatest men I've ever met. He **is** the greatest man I've ever met."

Rose looked over to the Doctor as their eyes met.

"I love him." She whispered quietly.

All of the crowd could see the pure and honest truth in Rose's eyes. Smiles spread across their faces.

"WHAT IS THIS?" Roared Mike.

The Doctor and Rose spun around, and everyone in the crowd dropped their smiles off like lead. Mike stood behind them, burning with anger.

"You are sacrificing all of our work! _My_ work! All for a false promise! This _Doctor_ is false! Can you not see it? He will betray us all!"

Steph looked at Mike, through the dried up tears, from her seat on the ground. She could feel something stirring inside her. It was not quite anger…there was something else.

The hundreds of people surrounding them faltered. Rose could see that they didn't believe him anymore…But no one wanted to challenge him. Even the man who had spoken out before had retreated back.

"The only way to survive is to have the Electant! We **must** kill her! I **must** kill her now!" Roared Mike.

"What did you say?" The Doctor asked.

Rose glanced to the Doctor. His head was cocked to the side in a half curious, have triumphant expression. She knew that expression.

Mike stared at him.

"You said **you** had to kill her. **You** must kill a child. **Kill** her."

The Doctor narrowed his eyes.

"An Ethae must kill."

Mike's face twisted into a snarl. He spun back around and lifted his hand to slam it into Steph.

Steph couldn't hold it back anymore. Something erupted inside her, something she couldn't understand, or control. It wasn't quite anger…it wasn't quite peace…It was protection.

She looked up at Mike and smiled. Her eyes glowed entirely electric blue.

All of a sudden a massive energy pulse thundered across the room, blasting Mike backwards into a crate on the other side of the room.

"Woah!" Cried Rose, leaping backwards into the Doctor in fright.

The Doctor's eyes widened in shock, and he too took a few steps backwards, staring at the sight before him.

Mike scrambled up from the floor, still attempting to recover. He stared at Steph, his eyes wide with fear.

"You can only see death."

The voice was terrifying.

Steph spoke as if two people were speaking; her eyes, every part of them were electric blue; the man who was meant to be holding her back was taking large steps backwards. There seemed to be an energy field surrounding her, shadowing her body in blue light. Her movements were fluid, as if she no longer carried weight. The energy field flickered around her body, encompassing her in a wrath of electricity. She looked at Mike as if he were nothing more than an insect underneath her shoe.

"The only one who cannot see life is determined to have death."

Mike faltered. He was scared. He wasn't the only one.

Every single person in the crowd was terrified. They had never seen something like this. People were running back, as far as they could get from the Electant, who, for the very first time in her life, was showing her true powers.

"You cannot have this life. You cannot have any life other than your own."

Steph started to take steps towards Mike, her hand outstretched. In her palm, a glowing blue ball was starting to materialise. Steph moved her other hand over it, seeming to control the glowing ball of electricity's movements.

Mike's eye twitched, and he glanced to his sides. He saw that Rose and the Doctor were staring at Steph; Rose was scared, the Doctor enthralled and curious.

The ball in Steph's outstretched hand glowed brightly as she drew it back, as if preparing to strike. Mike took the opportunity and ran forward, grabbing Rose as he did, holding her in front of him, like a shield.

"NO!"

The Doctor tore his eyes away from the glowing fourteen year old and raced over to Mike, who dragged his favourite human with him.

"Touch me and I'll absorb everything she has!" He yelled.

The Doctor stopped, breathing heavily, inches away.

"Don't…don't do anything…or I swear I will-"

"You won't have too." The two voices from Steph were eerily calm.

Mike turned back to Steph, holding a struggling Rose in his arms.

"Don't do anything." He snarled.

The blue light around Steph suddenly vanished, and her eyes returned to normal. She smiled broadly.

"I won't," She said in her normal voice, "but they will."


	8. Chapter 8

Mike slowly turned around, only to face the hundreds of angry Ethae behind him

Mike slowly turned around, only to face the hundreds of angry Ethae behind him. The massive crowd of people behind him suddenly converged, pulling Rose free and tearing Mike away, dragging him screaming.

The Doctor leapt over to Rose, wrapping his arms around her in protection, as he stared at the Ethae.

"WAIT! NO!" He yelled.

The massive surge covered Mike, as dozens and dozens of angry Ethae charged forward. A large scream echoed around the warehouse, and the Ethae stopped their charge. They began to dissipate around the place where Mike was, before he disappeared under the pressure of the others. They all turned back to face the staring Doctor and Rose.

"He is no more." Said the man who had spoken out before.

"Will you take us to the Cyl?" Asked a woman who stood by his side.

The Doctor and Rose exchanged relieved glances. They smiled.

"I think we can do that," Said the Doctor.

He and Rose both turned to Steph.

"What do you-" The Doctor stopped mid-sentence in shock.

"Steph!" Cried Rose.

Time seemed to stop moving as Rose and the Doctor dashed frantically over to where Steph lay. She was unmoving and silent; her long blonde hair spread out across her shoulders and the ground. Her skin was grey; she wasn't breathing. Rose leapt to her side, grabbing her shoulders and shaking them.

"Steph! Come on! We won! Don't leave now!" She called to the small child.

The Doctor scrambled to check all her vitals. There was nothing present.

"No…no, no, no, no, no!" Muttered the Doctor.

He glanced around and noticed that the Ethae had surrounded them. Their eyes were sad. One man bent down and placed a hand on Steph's forehead.

"Wait…What are you-" Asked a confused Rose.

"Stand back Rose." The Doctor took her hand and pulled her away from Steph.

"What's-" She started.

The man who his hand on Steph's head closed his eyes and muttered something indiscernible. His fellow Ethae looked on, joined by Rose and the Doctor. The man concentrated hard, and sighed.

Then, all of a sudden, Steph cried out, gasping. She opened her eyes, and looked around frantically, breathing heavily as she did. The man got up and walked back; allowing Rose and the Doctor back to her side.

"Steph!"

Rose gently heaved Steph up into a sitting position, her skin colour returning to normal. Steph glanced around, slowly relaxing. The Doctor was checked her vitals once again, and gave a sigh of relief. He looked up at the Ethae curiously.

"A transfer?" he asked.

The man who saved Steph nodded.

"Thank you."

The Doctor turned back to Steph and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"How are you feeling?" He asked.

"Good."

Was all that Steph could manage.

"We must thank you again, you saved us." Said the new leader of the Ethae.

He stood in the doorway of the TARDIS, the last Ethae to join the Cyl. The Doctor and Rose stood next to him, watching the rest float out the door, their human appearances gone.

The Doctor and Rose smiled.

"Don't think on it." The Doctor replied.

The Ethae smiled and turned to the blonde kid standing next to the console, in her far too big clothes and watery smile.

"We are sorry for your loss. It has been so long since someone reminded us who we are." He said with condolence.

Steph nodded; in her eyes the Ethae could see forgiveness. He took a deep breath and stepped out of the TARDIS and into space, to join the rest of his people. Steph walked down the ramp to join the Doctor and Rose to watch the rebirth of Ethae civilisation.

Steph stood outside of the TARDIS. She looked at the strange blue box, and how it had managed to turn her life on its head. She glanced behind her. Her house, the one now filled with the emptiness of her dead adoptive parents, and her garden, where what felt like a millennia ago she had learnt that she was an alien. Steph turned back to the TARDIS, and pushed opened its doors.

"-Martha Jones and UNIT,"

The Doctor stopped abruptly when he realised Steph had come into earshot. Steph stopped halfway through the doors and eyed him curiously, noticing that Rose was staring at him with her hands on her hips. Steph decided she wasn't going to get involved with this one. She stepped completely inside and closed the doors.

"So I guess this is goodbye then?" Asked Steph; shrugging her shoulders and smiling half-heartedly.

The Doctor nodded.

"I guess so."

Steph met with his eyes.

"I just want to say, thank-you." She smiled, and bounded up the ramp and dived at the Doctor, pulling him into a hug.

The Doctor smiled awkwardly and hugged her back. Steph smiled and then frowned. Something felt different. She pulled away from him and looked at her hands curiously.

"What is it?" Asked the Doctor.

"I'm not sure…"

Steph could feel a slight tingle in her hands, which slowly spread to the rest of her body as well.

"I can feel a tingle…Like there's something different now…But I've only just noticed when I stepped into the TARDIS…"

Steph shook her hands and looked up at the Doctor. He had an expression of curiosity on his face.

"When you stepped into the TARDIS, you could feel a slight tingle…as if there was something in the air that felt odd against your skin?" He asked.

Steph nodded.

"What's going on?" Asked Rose.

"But you never felt it before…?" Continued the Doctor.

Steph thought for a moment.

"Not really…I sort of felt funny after…after Mike went, but I thought that was just normal. But now, my skin feels really prickly, but it only really started once I got back into the TARDIS." She looked up at the Doctor.

"Do you know why?"

"Background radiation." muttered the Doctor under his breath.

"What?" chorused Rose and Steph.

"I think Steph can sense the background radiation."

The Doctor turned back to the console and pressed a few buttons.

"Wait…What?" repeated Steph in confusion.

Rose stepped over.

"Background radiation is what you pick up after you travel through time,"

Steph stared at her.

"It's harmless," continued Rose, ignoring Steph's expression, "but it's just there."

"Time travel?" repeated Steph.

"Ahh…yes. We do that." giggled Rose.

Steph's eyes couldn't get any wider in surprise.

"Because Steph is pure electricity she had the ability to detect certain electrical impulses, one of which is background radiation." called the Doctor from the other side of the console.

"I'm a time travel detector?"

The Doctor looked up and smiled.

"I like that!"

He walked back around from the console.

"Anyway," he grinned, "you have fun!"

Steph smiled.

"You too!" she hugged the Doctor again, this time ignoring the tingle.

"Goodbye Steph! I'll miss you!" said Rose as she hauled Steph into a tight hug of her own.

Steph pulled away from the both of them, and walked down the ramp towards the doors. Glancing around, she suddenly remembered the shiny thing on the ground she noticed earlier. Bending down, she picked up a glimmering diamond ring with the words, _never going to leave you_ engraved on the inside. She quickly turned around and walked back to the Doctor.

"I saw this before," she placed the ring in the Doctor hand, much to his surprise. "I'm guessing it's yours."

"I've been looking for this everywhere…" Whispered the Doctor to himself, holding the ring tenderly in his hand.

Rose walked over curiously to see what the Doctor held in his hand.

Her eyes widened when she saw what it was.

"Is that…?" She asked, pointing to the ring.

The Doctor turned to her, holding the ring in one hand.

"I was saving this for the Diamond Mountains of Genera 4, but I think now is a good a time as ever…" The Doctor stared at the ring, not talking to anyone in particular.

The Doctor looked up into her eyes and smiled. He slowly lowered himself onto one knee and held the ring out towards Rose.

Rose's hands flew to her mouth in surprise.

"Will you marry me?"

Rose's eyes began to tear up, as she nodded with earnest.

"Yes! Yes, of course I will!"

The biggest grin Steph had ever seen spread across the Doctor's face. He jumped up and lifted Rose into a passionate kiss. She laughed and hugged him tightly.

Steph smiled. She couldn't be happier for them.

Rose's brand new engagement ring glimmered on her finger as she held onto the Doctor's hand. They both stood next to the console, waving at Steph, who walked down the console. She opened the TARDIS doors, and took once last look behind her at the two aliens and their ship.

"Won't ever forget you!" Called Rose.

"Neither will I!" Added the Doctor, pulling a wide grin.

Steph grinned and stepped out onto the lawn, closing the doors behind her. She turned and watched as that familiar wind and sound rushed by her.

"You can bet on it."


End file.
